When We Were Innocent
by Starlight in Twilight
Summary: Pre-game - Rose and Zieg's first kiss. Valentine's Day special.
1. Part One: Rose

Author: Winter Crucification

Rating: PG for some mushy romance stuff.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Sony, I just like fiddling with their characters.

Author's Notes: Woah, been a loong time since I've written a fanfic. ^_^; Enjoy?

When We Were Innocent

Part One: Rose

_"I used to be this innocent."_

It wasn't like him to brood. That was more like Syuveil. Zieg was always the one to help Belzac drag out Syuveil for a good-natured wrestling match, or start a fight. Hot-headed idiot. I could feel a slight smile tugging at my lips, but I didn't pay it much mind. But yet, there he sat, chin in his hand, staring at the wall, and looking far too old for his mere seventeen years of age. I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. 

I shifted a little, and the soft scraping noise of my armor against the wall of the common room he shared with five other boys drew that intense blue gaze. He looked angry for a split second, then - perhaps realizing who he was looking at - smiled just a bit.

"Sorry to disturb you." 

He smiled a little more - curse that smile! "Don't worry about it. I think I needed to be disturbed." That smile turned into a sheepish grin. "'Cause, ya know, I was thinking disturbing thoughts."

I rolled my eyes. Males. "That was a bad joke, Zieg."

The blond rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged a bit. "I know."

I hate long, awkward silences. Comfortable silence is always a good thing in my book, but this…"Say, Zieg…Want to go for a walk?"

He tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow at me. "It's raining."

"So? Don't you like to play in the rain sometimes?"

He shrugged a bit. "Well, if you want to…Let me go change. Leather armor and rain don't mix well, but we may run into monsters."

The red-clad blond walked off, leaving me in the doorway, alone with my thoughts. I can't even begin to describe what was going on in my mind…But I didn't have to wait long, as Zieg emerged from his bedroom, fiddling with the buckles on his armor for a moment. I snorted. "Red. Is that all you wear?"

He grinned at me. "Yup. You don't have any room to talk, Miss Black and Blue."

"Purple, too." I led the way out of the large, stone building that was home to many freed slaves like Zieg and me. "At least I have a little variety."

He stuck his tongue out at me.

Ignoring him, I ran ahead a bit and randomly spun a circle in the rain, cold, mist somehow seeping through cracks in my armor, making my skin rather clammy, but I didn't much mind, for the moment. Stopping, I waited for Zieg to catch up before falling in next to him, somehow keeping stride with the taller man. 

Eventually, we ended up on a high bluff overlooking the plains to the south. I tilted my head back, closing my eyes. I had always been rather fond of rain. After a few moments, the mist seemed to have ceased, and Zieg nudged me. "Hey, look, a rainbow!" I glanced at it, a band of color against the reddish light of the setting sun, only half-interested, before stepping onto a nearby low rock, suddenly almost of a height with Zieg. He gave me an odd look before taking the half-step over to where I was. "What are you-"

I leaned forward, just slightly, and caught his lips with mine. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned into the kiss, as well, and his hand slowly slid up to cup my cheek as I wrapped one arm around his neck.

He gave me the most bewildered look I had ever seen, when we finally separated, that I laughed aloud. He scrunched his nose up at me and scowled, starting to walk off with my arm still around his neck, which dragged me off the rock. I lost my balance and fell to the still-wet ground with a thump. He looked down at me in surprise, and it was my turn to scowl. 

"Why didn't you let go?" Such a little lost puppy look, he looked kind of cute. Pitiful, but cute.

"Why would I?"

"You laughed at me."

I shook my head and barely restrained another laugh. "Not at you. Never AT you." My lips twitched in a half-smile at his suspicious look. "What, don't you believe me?"

He grinned a little bit. "Yeah, I believe you. But…You kissed me."

"Yes, I did."

He shrugged and grinned more widely, offering a hand to help me up. I took it, and he pulled me up a little too hard, so that I landed against his chest. Lifting my chin and leaning down, he kissed me again…and that certainly wasn't the last time. 


	2. Part Two: Zieg

Part Two: Zieg

_"Even if one of us dies, our bonds of affection are forever."_

_Bum, bum, bum-bum_. Sighing and drumming the fingers of my free hand on the desk in front of me, staring mindlessly at the window, I tried not to think about the audience I had had with Lord Diaz earlier that day. Like I was the person to lead the humans to victory against the Winglies in full-scale war. Riiight. And humans can fly.

A sound reached my ears - a soft scraping sound. Quickly looking up, annoyed at being disturbed when I had asked not to be, I blinked quickly upon noticing who my visitor was. Rose. I probably smiled then.

Black hair spilled over her shoulders as she tilted her head forward slightly, looking a little  shy - an expression that really didn't belong on her face, but always seemed to find itself there, around me. "Sorry to disturb you."

"Don't worry about it. I think I needed to be disturbed. 'Cause, ya know, thinking disturbing thoughts."

She rolled those violet eyes of hers, but I grinned at her expression. I loved making her laugh, even if it was only inside.

She shook her head and smiled a bit. "That was a bad joke, Zieg."

Heheh, well, if it works…"I know."

We fell into one of those long pauses that seemed to be happening a lot more often, and my thoughts had started to turn inward again, when she spoke up again. "Say, Zieg, want to go for a walk?"

What was she getting at..? Women are confusing. "It's raining."

"So? Don't you like to play in the rain sometimes?"

Ah. I guess I had been brooding earlier. Perhaps this was a distraction. "Well, if you want to…Let me go change. Rain and leather armor don't mix well, but we may run into monsters." Turning away from the already armor-clad teenager, I walked quickly into my bedroom - barely big enough for a bed, as space was scarce, here in Magrad. Quickly and efficiently I pulled on the fire-red armor that was a present from Lord Diaz, and hurried out to meet Rose. It wasn't the best idea to keep her waiting for too long. 

"Red. Is that all you wear?"

I grinned a bit at the common "argument" between us. "Yup. You don't have any room to talk, Miss Black and Blue." 

She smirked, just slightly. "Purple, too. At least I have a little variety." Walking out the door, I couldn't help but watch her hips swish in front of me for a moment. I stuck my tongue out at her when she tossed a glance over her shoulder. It was a good thing that she didn't seem to notice my blush.

Bouncing off a bit ahead, she spun a circle, arms flung out and eyes closed. Not many people got a chance to see this side of Rose - I liked to think that I was special. 

It was cold outside, and rain wasn't exactly my favorite weather, but since Rose had been avoiding me for the most part lately…She stopped, and after a moment, I shortened my stride to match hers, walking side-by-side as we had done many times before.

I don't know how we ended up there, but before I knew it, Rose and I had reached the edge of the plateau. She tilted her head back, eyes closed once again, and rose-colored lips parted slightly, moistened by the spring mist. 

After a time, I forced myself to tear my eyes away from the woman next to me, glancing around. A rainbow arced across the sky, and the sun shone a fire-red, giving Rose's hair a scarlet tint. "Hey, look, a rainbow!" 

She looked rather disinterested as she opened her eyes, glancing around rather lazily, before taking a step back and onto the low rock behind her, putting her only a few inches shorter than me.

What in the world..? I took a step forward, closing the distance between the black-clad woman and myself. "What are you-"

I never had time to say anything else. She leaned forward and rendered me utterly speechless with just one kiss. My hand cradled her cheek almost of its own accord, and her arm wrapped around my neck.

Rose's lips gently pulled away from mine, and then she tilted her head at me andLAUGHED! She…My cheeks burned in embarassment, and I stepped away from her, expecting her to let go. Instead, there was a heavy weight around my neck for a moment, then, the next thing I knew, Rose was sitting on the ground, glaring up at me.

I blinked. "Why didn't you let go?"

Slightly mud-splattered and looking considerably less dignified than usual, Rose gave me a look that clearly said she had never considered the thought. "Why would I?"

"You laughed at me."

Her lips twitched in the way that they always did when she tried not to laugh, and shook her head. "Not at you. Never AT you." I must have not looked convinced, because she grinned a little and asked me if I believed her.

Of course I did, I always do. I must have been an idiot to truly think she had set me up or something. "You kissed me."

"Yes, I did."

Sometimes, there are just these moments when you feel your heart is going to burst, and this was one of them (even if that's awfully poetic of me, and I usually leave that to Syuveil), so I did the only thing I could do - offered her some help in rising to her feet. When her hand seized mine, I pulled her both to her feet and into my arms - all I really wanted was to kiss her again.

The End.

Author's Notes: Can someone say WAFF? I can! Heh. Well, that ends this little fic..thing. ^_^; Expect more ficcage involving Rose and Zieg soon, since I'm obsessive. And no, I have no idea as to why I wrote the same event from both perspectives. Guess I'm just crazy like that.


End file.
